For years I have driven by this small and unassuming sandwich shop without much more than a second look. But I saw on Yelp that it has some solid reviews and figured I should add my name to the ranks. I do love a good Philly cheese steak and so many places have just a standard versions with beef, peppers, onions and provolone. Every now and again you will find one with mushrooms as well. They are fine sandwiches but are a one in the same more often than not. At Strait From Philly they do it a different way.
They have many sandwich choices each with chicken or beef and with a number of topping options. Of course I went with the mushroom Philly. I ordered it "wit fried onion." The standard option for cheese is American. You may also select from cheeze whiz, mozzarella, or provolone (I think those were the choices). I went with the cheeze whiz.
It took a while for sandwich to come up. Just shy of 10 minutes. But it came out hot and fresh. I took it to go. It took me a little more than 5 minutes to get home but the sandwich was still piping hot. And oh the smells. The beef and fried onions perfumed my car and dining room so much my mouth was watering. I knew then this would be a good sandwich.
My first bite was an introduction to the roll. That soft and chewy hoagie roll enveloping the cheesy beefy goodness within. It was perfect. Not too chewy. Not at all dry. Firm enough to hold up to the cheese and beef juice. Bravo. The beef was next up. Tender and flavorful. Hot and plentiful. Intertwined with the gooey whiz and fried onions. The onions were cooked enough to soften the bite and start the sweetness. The mushrooms were the unfortunate weird guy in the corner of a party trying to have a good time. I'm pretty sure they were not fresh 'shrooms. They tasted, and felt, more like canned mushrooms. I don't mind canned mushrooms but when everything else is so fresh, canned just falls short. Aside from that, this was one of the best Phillys I've had in a long time.
The sandwiches here are a pretty good size but at $9.50, so was the price. I found myself still a little hungry after finishing my sandwich. I wished I had ordered some fries. Maybe their garlic fries, for example. When I get a standard cheese steak from other places I may not get as good a sandwich as from here but I would get fries and still pay about the same price. I know I'm paying for quality at Strait From Philly and thats fine. Its just a thought.